The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife Book Cover

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife


A General Fiction Novel


Subgenres:

  • Uplifting,
  • Found Family,
  • Contemporary
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This book is for you if you're into...

  • Mistaken identity capers in nursing homes
  • Unlikely friendships between lonely elders and overworked caregivers
  • Redemption arcs for people who feel invisible

From Little Stack

Your heart will grow two sizes reading this story about 82-year-old Frederick. Though exceptionally kind, he is struggling to make ends meet—so when he’s mistaken for a nursing home resident who’s missing, Frederick takes the man’s place at the home. There his kindness sends a ripple through the community, and he forms a special bond with caregiver Denise, who is facing her own challenges, from a failing marriage to her daughter’s ill health.

The themes here of aging, friendship, and community will resonate, particularly if you’re a fan of shows like Netflix’s A Man on the Inside.

Publisher Description

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he'd return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is, at age eighty-two, there's nobody left in Fred's life to borrow from, and he's broke and on the brink of eviction. But Fred's luck changes when he's mistaken for Bernard Greer, a missing resident at the local nursing home, and takes his place. Now Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his look-alike Bernard never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard's shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

More Anna Johnston

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